-14-25         Luke 15:1-10

1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
  3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
  8 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Create clean hearts in us, O God, and renew our spirits.

Here we go again, there is a long line at the customer service desk, people are there to return items, to list their complaints about the poor service they’ve been given, or to whine about the crummy workers the store has hired. They demand that changes be made and they be compensated for their trouble. Something better be done or they will take their business elsewhere. Some of their complaints are legitimate, others need further investigation. The store does want to keep a good reputation, so they look into the problem.

As we hear the grumbling of the religious leaders, we might wonder about them. Why were they so bent out of shape about who Jesus associated with? Well, remember they were the law-keepers, committed to doing what was right in God’s sight, their reputations were untarnished. They kept the Sabbath, they observed the religious festivals, they made pilgrimages to the temple and paid the tithe offerings. They were the good examples for others to follow. They had welcomed Jesus into the synagogues to teach, were interested in his healing power and cautiously promoted him to others. But more and more often lately tax collectors and sinners were coming around to hear what Jesus had to say. He even accepted invitations to eat with them. He chose a tax collector as one of his disciples. Everyone knew what these people were like, they were not upright in their living, not too keen on moral life-choices, and they did not adhere to the rules of God. Tax collectors gathered money to be paid to the Roman Empire, their despised, oppressive overlords. Many got rich themselves by cheating the taxpayers. Didn’t Jesus understand about his reputation, it was being tarnished by the company he kept. And didn’t he have a care about their good names? They could not condone his behavior, or their own reputations would be ruined. 

In their history the Hebrews had gone through a major rebuilding of their reputation as a people. They had been slaves in Egypt, which had totally wiped out any good reputation they had. God had sent Moses to deliver them from their lowly and subjugated situation. Through him God had sent ten plagues, one unnatural disaster after another until the Egyptians couldn’t wait to see the last of the Hebrews. Then Moses led them to the mountain to which God had directed him. This is where the first reading today took place and describes another issue involving one’s reputation. 

Moses had left the people in the camp as he went up the mountain to meet with God. No one was allowed to even follow Moses or go along with him. He had been their stability and protection, the one who dealt with God for them. But he had been gone for a long time. There was no way for them to know what had happened, Moses couldn’t call on his cell to reassure them. They couldn’t send out a search party, for they were forbidden to go up that mountain. They began to fret and build on each other’s anxieties. They became so afraid they called on Moses’ brother and assistant, their priest Aaron. Without Moses they did not know which way to go to the Promised Land and they certainly couldn’t go back to Egypt. They were lost without their leader. So they called upon Aaron to restore their confidence and create a new reputation for them. They demanded that he make for them a new god, one that they could see and to whom they could offer worship. This would create a new reputation for them which was like that of the peoples who lived in that region. Aaron was pressured to provide them a visible god who would bring confidence and pride, and would make them fit in with their new neighbors. It would give them a reputation worth giving up their gold for. With the jewelry and coins, they had coaxed from the Egyptians, a golden calf was made, that became the focus of their worship.

God saw what was going on and became angry over this rebellion. Moses came to their defense by reminding God how He dealt with this situation would reflect on God’s own reputation. Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”  Moses did not want God to be known for turning against His own people. That would surely overshadow all the amazing deeds God had ever done for this people. Did God want to be known for righteous wrath or for benevolent mercy? 

God was indeed intent on creating his reputation as merciful and loving, above all else. So God changed his mind and did not bring about destruction. 

We can see that God wants to be known for mercy and saving those who are lost; those who have lost their way, their trust and their faith. (In fact, had that been the focus all along? Perhaps God was checking out Moses to see if he understood that.) Therefore, Jesus was sent and came as a person who would demonstrate that trait and reinforce that kind of reputation. Yet how was that received? We know that many, like these Pharisee’s, grumbled. They looked for a leader with a pious, law-abiding reputation just like theirs. Jesus challenges them to reconsider their desire and conclusion. He also asks us a question, so we consider our understanding of our own reputations. “Which of you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” From a practical or business point of view, it is nonsensical, if you think about it. If your flock is one short, but 99 are safe, those sheep will bring you 99% of your available profit. That 1% is an acceptable business loss! To retrieve the one lost sheep, thereby putting the 99 at risk while you are off looking, does not make good sense. At least one dumb sheep will certainly wander off, getting lost in the hills where there are all kinds of dangers, predators and thieves. A shepherd who goes after that one is not making good use of their time, is putting their self in some danger, and is risking their financial investment.

Then Jesus’ second parable is a story about an even more foolish person, the woman who lost a coin. One drachma was no more than one day’s wages, yet she spends all kinds of time and effort to recover it. Ok, we might do the same thing. But then she hosts a party to celebrate when she finds it. In both cases they host celebrations, which might have cost more than what was retrieved. Neither showed wise fiscal responsibility. Yet, as Jesus was teaching, he was not concerned with building that kind of reputation. So, on what should we build our own reputation?

We have in I Timothy, our second reading, a picture of the repute which Jesus created for himself, one that would lead us to recognize the God we have. We are being shown what is truly important. 12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. In other words, this author had been a lost soul. And he says: the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Jesus came into the world to seek and save the lost.  And what will people think about that? It may seem an odd reputation for a god to have. In Jesus, though, we have a SAVIOR.  He offered himself not only to the 99 but to all, even the one. Jesus continues with the same reputation that the Old Testament God built, for showing mercy, even when that mercy does not add up. 

Several years ago, Horace Mann, a great educator, was asked to speak at the opening of a home for young boys. He concluded his speech saying: “If but one boy finds salvation here, the cost will all have been worth it.” Afterwards he was approached by a man, complimenting his speech he asked: “But, Mr. Mann, weren’t you exaggerating when you said that one boy saved, would make it all worth the cost?” Mann replied, “Not if it were my son.”

We can readily see that mercy and grace are great when we are the recipient. Unfortunately we are not always so excited when it is someone else who get treated mercifully. We often think that they should have to do something to show they are deserving. God makes it known that WHO is lost doesn’t matter. It is the fact that someone is LOST that concerns him. God wants to have a relationship with each person, for each one is valuable. Each person, God considers his son or daughter. What do others think about that?

If you are the lost one, you know God cares for you. Jesus came for You! Accept that love which has been prepared especially for you. If you already believe and know that love of Christ; then join in the joy that breaks out in heaven, whenever a lost one is returned to the flock. Search for the lost and be a welcoming presence to the found.

What will people think about you? Does it give you a reputation that seems foolish in this world?  Yeah, but who cares! You will be part of the celebration, knowing the joy of that new brother or new sister. You will have the family reputation for mercy.